Ongietorri - Turismo Euskadi

Ongietorri
basque for welcome
Story and Photography by Peter Sukonik
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View from Txakoli Talai Berri vineyard
GETARIA
Taking in the sights, sensations and flavors of
Spain’s most hospitable region.
Straddling the Spanish/French border in the Pyrenees Mountains
is B asque country , an autonomous community of northern S pain .
The first mentioning of Basque tribes goes back to 1st century.
Today modern Basque Country is a phenomenal cultural and gastronomic center of Northern Spain, place of culture and beauty and it has
long been regarded as one of the prominent gastronomic centers on the
planet. To understand what all the excitement was about, I recently made
the trip.
A little over an hour and half drive from the Bilbao airport brought
me to Getaria, a charming village west of
San Sebastian. Situated on the Bay of Biscay, the town was the ideal place to stretch
my legs after my pleasant flight on Iberia
Airlines. The ocean beaches, rolling green
hills of txacoli wine region, and of course
Basque cuisine makes this village so very
attractive to visit. For the fashionistas out there Getaria is home
to the Cristobal Balenciaga Museum dedicated to iconic fashion
designer, one of its most famous residents, who started up a great
fashion house of Balenciaga. Strolling through the cobblestone
streets and narrow alleys of old town from the Hotel Saiaz where
I spent the night, passing by the restaurants with the intoxicated
aroma of the fresh grilled fish, I was on my way to the pintxos bar
(Pintxo is the local word for ‘spike’, as in
the skewer or toothpick the food is served
on, and is the Basque equivalent of tapas),
very popular snack in the Basque Country
among group of friends getting together
for socializing. Pintxos are usually paired
with txakoli, the crisp young slightly sparkling white wine of the region. I loved it
how in taverns variety of pintxos served on
trays at the bar.
Rested and ready I set out the next morning to San Sebastian. The
trip took me through the rolling hills beyond Geteria to the Txacoli wine
region to the Talai Berri winery, best place to try some of the recent vintages. Bixente Eizagirre Aginaga, the fourth generation owner of the winery poured delicious fresh, fruity, traditional Basque white wine, on a terrace overlooking the sprawling vineyard where ancient trail to Santiago
de Compostela goes through. The delicious wine, lush surroundings and
history around made it magical. Most of the wine produced in the Talai
Berry winery is white, 95% of it and only some 5% of it are the reds.
This page from top to bottom: Hotel Saiaz Getaria Old Town;
Egg with sausage pintxo Old Town Getaria; Bixente Eizagirre
Aginaga owner of Talai Berri Txakoli winery
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SAN SEBASTIAN
San Sebastian is a gastronomic paradise of the Basque cuisine, and it’s a city that
boasts the highest number of Michelin stars per inhabitant and food here is taken very
very seriously.
The extraordinary beef and pork raised with care, the wild mushrooms from the
mountains, superb quality of the fresh from farm to table produce, freshly caught seafood in the Atlantic, centuries of tradition in renowned preparation are essential, and is
the signature of outstanding international cuisine
of Basque.
Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Spain
and the best place in San Sebastian to have it is
Branka where I had the great pleasure of having
a feast of spider crab with uni salad followed
by natural white asparagus with egg yoke and a
selection of grilled seafood.
To learn more and appreciate the Gastronomy of Basque Country I attended pintxos workshop run by Gabriella Ranelli, a Spanish food
expert and the founder of Tenedor Tours.
Gabriella treats all her students to a visit to
the La Bretxa Market,
famous for its fresh
produce, seafood and
charcutaria. As we assembled the ingredients needed to cook our own pintxos
dinner, Gabrella lead us to Aitor Lasa for a
local cheese tasting, then to the Zaporejai
charcuteria to try various Iberian hams.
Once our tasty shopping expedition was
complete we were on our way to the kitchen to prepare our own pintxos.
With help and supervision of the talented chef Josetxo Lizaretto we learned
how to make the anchovies with peppers,
stuffed peppers with seafood and homemade mayonnaise, deep fry shrimp. The
friendly atmosphere, the fun of preparation of traditional Basque food was very
enjoyable.
Once you visited historical San Sebastian it’s impossible not to fall
in love with the city. The playground for the royalty in the past, it is
the city where the river meets ocean under the Zurriola and Kursaal
Bridge, with the lively old town with streets full of the ordinary pintxos bars and restaurants with extraordinary food. The Londres Hotel where I stayed is by La Concha
bay, where a morning run on the beach was exactly what I needed.
top left: Spider crab with uni salad Branka Restaurant San Sebastian;
bottom left: Stuffed peppers with seafood Gabriella Ranelli Pintxos workshop San Sebastian;
right: Ham tasting Zaporejai charcuteria San Sebastian
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This page clockwise: Pintxos bar San Sebastian; San Sebastian
Old Town; Londres Hotel San Sebastian; Old port La Concha Bay
San Sebastian
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VITORIA-GASTEIZ
From San Sebastian, I set out for the capitol of the Basque
region Vitoria-Gasteiz. Founded in the 12th century it was named
the European Green Capitol 2012 and the Spanish Gastronomy
Capitol in 2014. The city is home to the Santa Maria cathedral,
an ancient marvel located in the center of the Almendra Medieval
quarter.
En route I stopped in the Valle Salado, home to the Salines de
Anana, where salt has been continuously produced for over 6,500
years. The “White gold” from
Salines de Anana is the most important commodity in the history of
the region and is internationally
acclaimed by many of the world’s
top chefs.
To continue with my hands
on interest in Basque food in
Vitoria-Gasteiz I headed straight to
another Basque food workshop at
the 220º Alternative Cuisine Place
run by Elena Zudaire, who took
us through the steps to make talo,
an unfermented corn flour tortilla
cooked on a griddle, and tradiabove: Old Quarters Vitoria-Gasteiz;
tional Basque cake popular among
left: Santa María Old Cathedral Vitoria-Gasteiz
locals.
The legendary Ikea Restaurant (not the furniture store! Ikea is the Basque word for little
hill) located in the 19th century building, was my destination for dinner. Plates of vegetable
tempura with crayfish over pistachio ajoblanco, blood orange soup, cubed tuna, mozzarella
with beetroot and orange came paired with a 2012 Txakoli Xarmant and local red wines.
Dining at Ikea, surrounded by the elegant décor, attendance
of the staff to smallest details, the company of friends, and
of course the food, created an atmosphere that made me
feel this is one of the highlights of my trip.
left: Ikea Restaurant Vitoria-Gasteiz; above: vegetable tempura with crayfish over pistachio ajoblanco, Ikea Restaurant
Vitoria-Gasteiz
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RIOJA ALAVISA
The next day was another side trip on the Rioja Alavisa wine route to visit the Bodegas Baigorri.
Designed and built by the architect Inaki Aspiazu, Bodegas Baigorri is a state-of-the-art winery
that takes wine production to the next level. The grapes used to produce the wines are sustainably
grown and harvested by hand, delicately pressed, then gravity-borne to the cellar to avoid any
mechanical movement of the wines, the old fashion way. Bodegas Baigorri wines, winner of many
competitions, are thought after by wine lovers everywhere.
After a day of wine tasting I was ready for an elegant lunch at the Viura Hotel
restaurant in Alava— where every meal is made from local products by phenomenally skilled chefs. The lunch: watermelon gazpacho, tuna tataki with ponzu
sauce, yellow chili, smoked salmon with peanut coriander sauce and Galician
marinated sirloin -every dish was bursting with flavors of the season.
Top: Baigorri vineyard Rioja Alavesa Basque
Above (left to right): Viura Restaurant Rioja Alavesa, Watermelon gazpacho (tuna
tataki with ponzu sauce & herbs oil) Viura Restaurant; Galician diced marinated
sirloin (celery compote, fennel & frozen vinagrette) Viura Restaurant
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LAGUARDIA
Right: Laguardia medieval village;
below: Carlos San Pedro winery Laguardia medieval village
In the medieval town
of Laguardia going back to
13th century, I headed to
the 300 years old Carlos
San Pedro winery right off
the town square where 600
years old caves function
today as a bodega. Before
checking into the Parajes
Hotel, I stopped to admire
the charming clock on the
façade of the Town Hall where the mechanical dancers come to
life on the hour. For dinner, Los Parajes restaurant was my best
choice and the perfect place to experience traditional Basque cuisine executed in contemporary style.
Per the chef’s recommendation I went for the Sirloin Carpaccio with Parmesan shaving & olive oil,
shrimp scampi carpaccio, clams, then the caramelized suckling pig, all paired with local wines and done
to perfection. You can never go wrong following chef’s recommendation.
Above: Los Parajes Restaurant Los Parajes Hotel Laguardia medieval village; Column on right (top to bottom): Clock with dancing
figures main square Laguardia medieval village; Los Parajes Hotel Laguardia medieval village; Clams plate Los Parajes Restaurant
Laguardia; Suckling pig Los Parajes Restaurant Laguardia medieval village
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BILBAO
Next morning after breakfast I got on a bus to Bilbao, the largest municipality of
the Basque Country. Bilbao experienced its first major rise in the 17th century as an
export center of wool and iron used for sword making. The swords produced in Bilbao
were exported to England, and mentioned by William Shakespeare. The talent and
craftsmanship of Basque people is well known in the industrial world, and example is
Sener, the Basque company responsible for designing the aerial tracking system for the
NASA’s Mars Rover.
Strolling the famous “Seven streets” of the legendary old city Casco Viejo (Old
Town), full of life, surrounded by numerous pintxos bars, listening to the bands
rehearsing for the upcoming event, was a happy beginning of my visit to the city.
Fascinated by the architecture of the facades of old buildings I was heading to the most
recognized iconic landmark, the signature of Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum designed by
Frank Gehry.
Old Town Bilbao Basque
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Above: La Ribera (riverside) market Bilbao Basque
A Bilbao tour wouldn’t be complete without visiting
La Ribera (riverside) Market and home of La Ribera
Restaurant, recognized in 1990 as the most complete
municipal food market by the Guinness Book of
Records. The finest freshest products and seafood are
delivered daily, the pintxos and music are everywhere,
and the happy times are to be had by everybody.
The Michelin-starred Etxanobe Restaurant was the
obvious choice for
dinner. Chef Fernando Canales’ Expression menu was a
blend of innovation
and tradition. The
anchovy’s lasagna
and tomato soup, the squid with black sauce, the slow
cooked at low temperature lamb and cloud potatoes
were paired with txacoli white wine from Vizcaya
and red wine Rioja Alavesa. It was a culinary treat
done with artistic touch.
From top to bottom: Interior shot Etxanobe Restaurant Bilbao; Lamb cooked at low temperature
and cloud potatoes Etxanobe Restaurant Bilbao; Chef Fernando Canales Etxanobe Restaurant
Bilbao Basque; Right: Pintxo Bar Bilbao Basque
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Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Portuondo Restaurant
Mundaka Bizkaia
Coast Basque: (left)
Fish soup; (lower left)
Wild warm mushrooms
with shrimp salad
Basque Coast Reservoir of Urdaibai;
Nestled within the beautiful Urdaibai Nature Reserve is Gernica town recognized around
the world by Pablo Picasso “Guernica” most famous work. It is a place where Basque was granted autonomy in the Middle Ages. The Assembly House where Parliament of Bizkaia resides is a
symbol of Basque heritage.
My visit to Basque was coming to the end, but I still had one last lunch to enjoy ahead of
me at “Portuondo” Restaurant in Mundaka with exceptional view on a beachfront Laida and
mountains from the terrace. The cozy restaurant with huge glass windows “Portuondo” caters
to the local and tourists visitors. Wild warm mushrooms with shrimp salad and
the fish soup prepared by chef represented a memorable ending of the gastronomical visit to Basque.
By the end of my stay in Basque Country it became abundantly clear to me
why the region is so loved by gourmands and the culturati alike and that I was
going to miss it. Luckily, as my Iberia Airlines flight lifted off, my experience
of all things Basque had not entirely come to an end. The spacious comfort of
Business Class seats while dining on line-caught hake and a glass of Txakoli wine
were consolation for the ending of my great Basque Country experience. And
hopefully it is not my last trip to the friendly and delicious Basque Country. $
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